Installment 11 of Creating a Sustainable Food Future shows that for people who consume high amounts of meat and dairy, shifting to diets with a greater share of plant-based foods could significantly reduce agriculture’s pressure on the environment. It introduces a protein scorecard ranking foods from lowest (plant-based foods) to highest impact (beef), as well as the Shift Wheel, which harnesses proven marketing and behavior change strategies to help move billions of people to more sustainable diets.

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Global meat and dairy consumption is set to increase nearly 70 percent by 2050. The resulting agricultural emissions would make it impossible to keep temperature rise below 1.5°C (2.7°F), the level scientists say is necessary for staving off climate disasters.

While 2017 was a banner year for plant-based eating, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts 2018 will be a year when Americans eat a record amount of meat. There's more to the story: the mix of meats in the U.S. diet has been shifting away from beef and toward chicken for decades.

In a world that expects to welcome another 3 billion people to the middle class in the new few decades, eating more sustainably will be key. Two simple rules of thumb: eat fewer animal-based foods and waste less.

Linda Bacon, a researcher and former Mars, Inc. strategist, looked at how restaurants can increase sales of vegetarian dishes through better menu placement. Her findings could help shift diets toward more sustainable options.